Nocens
Nocens is an autonomous cybernetically enhanced assassin originally intended to infiltrate rival corporations and eliminate competition. He was once a solider named Keith Ellis who developed an addiction to cybernetic enhancements after injuries received in combat which lead to nearly 90% of his body to be replaced by cyberware, the result of which caused his personality to fragment and turn on his creators. He adopted the name of the lead developer, Dr. Cephas Loire, for a time until he was nearly deactivated by a territorial faction in Midian City called the Catwalkers. He returned sometime later under a new name, Nocens, and has taken residence in the back alleys and rooftops of the desolate city. Physical Characteristics Cybernetics Nocens is a unique cybernetic organism designed by Willeford Home Appliances for infiltration and combat duty utilized for the ultimate goal of corporate dominance against their competitors. One hundred and thirty-three human volunteers were used as base materials that required nearly 90% of their bodies to be augmented with cybernetics. Of the original one hundred and thirty-three initial test subjects only eight survived. Initial field tests proved successful until Nocens went rogue, killing the other seven ‘to be unique’. Subsequently, Nocens attacked corporate compounds twice leaving nearly six hundred employees dead. Shortly after his second assault the unit was supposedly disabled and junked in the Grand Landfill, Arizona. Because Willeford Home Appliances used human beings as the basis of their construction they still retain latent memory traits, a portion of their brain, and a very basic internal organ and circulatory system. The internal organs actually act as a recurrent supply that utilizes electrochemical energy to power the unit’s systems via amplifiers. The theory being that if electromagnetic weapons were used in an attempt to disable the unit it’s effects would not destroy it. In addition, the unit’s systems can actually store a significant amount of bioelectricity in an internal core in the event of damage to it’s biological systems as well as utilizing heat sinks to harness thermal energy from it’s surroundings. The added use of nanites, or ‘nanosurgeons’, would accelerate the healing process to damaged biological systems to keep the unit functioning. In previous attempts to create cybernetically enhanced field agents it was revealed that partial cyborgization created a perpetual issue with muscle and skeletal damage. To balance this, the Corporate Enforcement Units underwent a complete cyborgization process that removed the external limbs from the torso and had them replaced with cyberware. The torso was encased in a linear frame, effectively anchoring the cybernetic limbs to a solid structure. The limbs were not powered by muscles but by a series of hydraulic servomechanisms, making the units superhumanly strong (they are capable of up to 1,000 lbs of press damage). The spine and skull base were encased with the same material the cyberware was made from, a dense beryllium based alloy fused with carbon nanofibers (leading to a total weight of nearly 550lbs). Field tests showed that the units could survive most late 20th and early 21st century firearms and explosions to some degree. However, extensive and long term damage could disable it; large caliber rounds and even shotguns had the ability to knock them down. The use of gas was also documented to have the ability to disable the units in long term exposure; injection and consumption based attacks had no effects. The flesh-covering that is used on the Corporate Enforcement Units has similar qualities to real human muscle fiber and dermis, including soft tissue and skin, as well as the ability to sweat and produce realistic body odor. Although CEU flesh does contain blood it only displays very minimal bleeding when damaged and has never been shown to experience any kind of profuse bleeding even from massive lacerations and dozens of gunshot wounds. Corporate Enforcement Units do require the consumption of sustenance, though in limited quantities, to keep it’s internal biological systems functioning. However, it was documented that after time the biological systems would periodically enter stages of imbalance which caused the units to regurgitate excess bile and blood. This blood is shown to be similar to human blood, using a synthetic oxygen carrier rather than human red blood cells, as CEU linear frames contain no bone marrow. The actual structure of the flesh-covering is encoded in the unit’s neural net, being able to replicate itself via nanosurgeons if damaged to the stage of it’s original appearance. This includes any scarring, facial deformities, tattoos, etc that the individual possessed at the time of cyborgization. Neural Net Processor/Chipware Socket The units were all installed with chipware sockets for easy installation of personality constructs into it’s neural net, a room-temperature superconducting CPU that was always linked to the Home Office Datanet via a remote systems relay. This allowed them to be monitored and controlled over vast distances (Nocens removed the uplink after his final assault on Home Office shortly before his reappearance in Midian City). The CPU also incorporated speedware systems, allowing the unit to ‘boost’ it’s reflexes during combat. The concept being that though it was not physically fast it could anticipate attacks and define logical counter maneuvers. However, these ‘boosts’ drained a significant amount of power and were designed to be used sparingly. The chipware socket has an access port on the exterior of Nocens's skull on the left side of his head. Originally this was intended to directly link the CEU to a Home Office uploading device to initiate personality constructs for espionage missions. Once initiated, the CEU would have no recollection of thier previous memories or that they were even cybernetically enhanced. Even thier own abilities would be limited by thier CPU to be similar to that of a human, units have undergone significant amount of physical damage without ever realizing they were cyborgs. As the project advanced so did the personality constructs; they became more in depth and contained complete histories and even family dynamics to keep the units under control or 'on a leash'. Ideally, this would reduce the chance of the unit becoming confused and thus failing it's mission. However, once Nocens began experiencing significant data leakage he disabled the exterior port and lost the ability to access his own personality construct files and could only intiate them with the assistance of a cyberneticist. Though Nocens possesses nearly one hundred various constructs only the following have been used: #Richard Nixon - His original hard coded personality #Carl Burns - Insurance investigator and one of the more dominant subpersonalities. #Harry Seltz - Tax collector from Burbank, CA #Arca Israel - Combat journalist #Anton Jermaine - A 14th century plague doctor. This was the unit's first attempt at creating a personality outside of the confines of it's original coding. It was assumed that he derived the personality from books he had read and for a time acted out the personality until the CPU overrode it and supposedly deleted it. #Cephas Loire - The first complete personality Nocens created on his own (much to the suprise of his manufacturer). When the unit began experiencing significant data corruption it acted outside it's coding for the first time and wrote a brand new personality based on the project leader, Dr. Cephas Loire. The personality officially eliminated itself (though the unit survived) when it assaulted Home Office shortly after recieving near fatal damage from the Catwalkers. Special Skills Nocens possesses extraordinary strength due to the powerful servomotors built into his linear frame. He has the ability to jump long distances and his physical attacks are, at full force, capable of close to 1,000 lbs. Due to the fact the Nocens apparently 'lost' or forgot the majority of his combat training, his combat style is little more then that of a street brawler and though having the ability to jump long distances he has displayed a difficulty in timing his jumps and landings. Nocens also possesses enhanced durability, he has the physical resiliency to withstand most conventional weapons and explosive blasts without sustaining fatal injury. He has displayed particular susceptibility to gaseous chemicals. Despite his violent and loutish nature, Nocens seems to have a genius level intellect in matters of destruction, violence and espionage. He can create complex explosives using household chemicals. In addition, his chipware socket contains a multitude of artificial constructs that allows him to take on the personality of someone else. His vocal cybernetics allows him to mimic the voices and mannerisms of anyone he comes in contact with that can only be detected using phonic decrypters. Weapons Nocens prefers not to use firearms. His CPU offers him a wide range of targeting options and systems which would allow him to be a formidable opponent when using pistols and rifles, but he typically uses only blunt instruments and his fists. His favorite weapon is a lead pipe which he keeps strapped to his belt that he affectionately calls the 'Lead Pipe of Truth'. On occassion he will have a banter between the lead pipe and himself, changing the octaves of his voice to signify the pipe's reponse. At times he will also use homemade napalm based explosives as well. Psychology Cyberpsychosis Nocens suffers from cyberpsychosis, a mental disease in which cybernetics cause an already unstable personality to fragment. Human interactions begin to irritate, culminating in a terrifying rage that consumes the victim entirely. Nocens must constantly fight to keep from going over the edge and committing irrational, violent acts of murder and mayhem. Most of the time, he loses. Then everybody loses. Cyberpsychosis is most prevalent in cases where the subject already suffers from a severe mental disorder prior to cyborgization. As Keith Ellis, Nocens displayed symptoms of malignant narcissism, a syndrome characterized by a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), antisocial features, paranoid traits, and ego-syntonic aggression. An absence of conscience, a psychological need for power, and a sense of importance (grandiosity) are often symptomatic of malignant narcissism. The malignant narcissist is presented as pathologically grandiose, lacking in conscience and behavioral regulation with characteristic demonstrations of joyful cruelty and sadism. The pre-existing mental disorder may have very well lead to his addiction to cybernetic body modification, once he got a taste of power he could not stop. The theory with cyberpsychotics is that they have manipulated their bodies with so many artificial components that they begin to develop an empathetic detachment to humanity in general, thus leading to confusion, violent outbursts and personality fragmentation. Some days Nocens would be completely ‘whitebrain’, that is so detached from his emotions and humanity he simply was comatose but functioning. On other occasions he would be prone to outbursts of rage and violence, sometimes without even knowing what he was doing. It is assumed that his reaction is dependent on his environment or other outside stimuli. This theory is derived from the fact that the personality that forced itself to surface (Nocens’s dominant personality that created itself) has resulted in a unique melding of human and artificial consciousness. A brilliant new modification of human perception, more suited to the urban life at the end of the century. Unlike most people, Nocens seems to have no control over the sensory information he is receiving from the outside world. He can only cope with the chaotic barrage of input by going with the flow. That's why some days he a caring and compassionate individual and others a psychopathic killer. He has no real personality. He creates himself each day. As a result of his cyberpsychosis and the pre-existing NPD syndrome he is more prone to some identification with other powerful idealized figures as part of a cohesive 'gang' ... which permits at least some loyalty and good object relations to be internalized. His association with the hybrids as well as the emergence of an adversary seem to reflect his perception of his environment has been threatened and he is reacting in a most aggressive manner. He is incapable of requiring an emotional reason to lash out, if he perceives himself to be wronged or threatened then his reaction would be no less in kind. He is incapable of caring for anyone else. He has displayed suicidal tendencies more than once in the past. Even the social obligations he holds in such high regard would carry no responsibility with him if it forms a constant obstacle between him and his chosen objectives. History Keith Ellis Nocens Character Concept Links Category: Characters